[There was a dark space with no light… It was just that endless void surrounding. She was struggling to breathe. Suddenly, she heard that same strange voice. The one that she heard before running away. It was mumbling some strange words that she didn’t understand. It sounded so scary... It was like a never-ending loop of demonic screeching… She started trembling. She wanted to run away and escape that horrifying feeling; that nightmare she was trapped inside… That void of suffering… Yet she instantly began to feel numb. The sounds around her began to fade away. She closed her eyes shut and waited.]

Jia woke up laid on the ground. She was now wet and dirty. It had been raining since she fell asleep that night. Now, it was a new, cloudy day. The sky was gray and tiny drops were falling from the silver clouds. Jia got up slowly. She had a blank expression on her face. She still had that loud roar in mind and she was desperate to figure out what had just happened and see it for herself, but her body wouldn’t move.

“Just what was I thinking? What is even going on with me…? Something is definitely wrong…” she mumbled. She closed her eyes and stood there, doing nothing but waiting for something to happen.

A few moments passed and Jia was still staring blankly. She was daydreaming. She was trying to avoid any scary thought. She tried picturing the dreamy view of the Ethereal Forest from the previous night and imagine beautiful things; She tried picturing her mother and father next to her, keeping her warm and laughing with her. It was a beautiful dream… But she snapped back to reality when she heard a faint, male voice from behind. A strange voice she didn’t recognize. She had that instinct to creep away from strangers, so she hardly jolted up and ran away, back on the path that was leading her to the city. She was gasping for air with every step and she was feeling very scared.

Once she reached the spot, she remained petrified. A strange feeling of fear flooded her whole body. It was not the casual fear of danger. It was the fear of losing everything and being unable to have it back. Jia treasured that little city and especially her parents, who she knew were now buried deep under the ruins, burnt to death… Nothing was left of NightCity; nothing was left from anything she held dear. The light in her life was replaced with darkness and her hope became despair. Jia was horrified. She had never felt like that before. That intense feeling of fear mixed with madness… That burning rage and a strong desire of revenge. But she began to feel hopeless, helpless, weak all of a sudden… She felt unable to act. She fell to her knees and a tear rolled on her pale cheek. Her heart was beating faster and faster. She began to hallucinate. She could see shadows lurking around, screaming and moving chaotically. She could understand them:

“NEON’s Destroyer is back! This is the End!”

They were all saying this at the same time. They wouldn’t stop. Jia covered her ears with her hands and yelled in agony. She couldn’t control herself anymore. Her whole body was shaking madly, her mind was a whirlpool of chaotic images and her sight got blurry… All she could see before her eyes were the enigmatic figures of the demons and black flames spinning chaotically all around… She was desperate and she felt like she was going to go insane. She was so affected by the fact that her hometown had been destroyed. She had lost everything she ever cared for: her family. Along with that went her sanity…

Suddenly, those creepy voices faded away and Jia fell to the ground. Her heart was beating fast and her eyes were emptied from any emotion. She heard footsteps coming from behind, right from the forest… A tall man, with shorty, black hair and shiny, green eyes ran towards her and lifted her up gently. Jia only let out a faint moan and closed her eyes. She let herself fall into his arms.

Later, she woke up in the man’s embrace. Despite the fact that he stopped to take a breath, he didn’t let go of Jia. He felt so sorry for her, seeing she was all alone, scared… He felt like he made the right choice to save her from her misery. She looked so innocent and he didn’t want to let her feel hurt. He somehow understood how bad it was for her. She was now just a lost cause, an abandoned little girl who lost all hope and who really needed some love and care. He could read that all on her pale face; from that blank expression and partly opened, empty eyes who reflected the hollow in her little soul.

Seeing the little girl woke up, he smiled at her. Jia looked in his eyes. She sighed in relief. At first, she analyzed his strange outfit. He was wearing a long, red suit with large sleeves. He had a cyber belt around his waist. She noticed he was also wearing a tight, black, neon battle suit under the red one. She just didn’t say anything. The man sighed and decided to start a conversation:

“Sorry if I scared you earlier, in the forest, I just wanted to check on you… Can you tell me what happened?” He sounded so kind, so calm.

Jia sobbed. She was about to cry but she covered her face with her palms. The man realized she was suffering, so he petted her head gently. For some reason, he was so affectionate towards her. They barely met, yet he seemed to care about the way she felt. She was so little after all and he understood that she couldn’t bare it.

“Come on, don’t cry. I promise, everything will be okay. Now, can you tell me what affects you so much?” His reassuring voice made Jia feel a bit safer. She wiped her tears away and got up partly. She was now sitting on his lap. She inhaled deeply, trying not to sob.

“Well… I was visiting my aunt… and I heard my parents talking about a guy named Vantablack… I got bored and decided to run away… Then, when I returned, everything was destroyed… I was such an idiot to leave them all behind…!” she said.

That man sighed. “I see. Well, you won’t need to worry any longer, I can take you with me. You will be safe and comfortable.”

“Are you sure you want to adopt a burden like me…?” sobbed Jia.

“You are not a burden! Don’t discourage yourself. You are who you choose to be. Don’t let this event change you, okay? I promise, I will treat you right. You don’t have to feel bad about being yourself. Now, come on, let’s go.”

He made everything sound so nice and reassuring. He was somehow understanding what she was going through and he just didn’t want to let her suffer anymore. Also, he was happy to help someone like her; innocent and so cute. He was happy that he had the chance to save her because… he really wanted company. He wanted to have someone sweet to look after and spend time with.

Jia started to like him. She felt like she could trust him. She felt warm in his arms and she liked staring at his face, his eyes that were reflecting the affection he felt towards her.

The man stood up, lifted her up and held her close. He gave her an encouraging smile. A strange feeling flooded Jia. She felt butterflies. He first made sure she was feeling comfy. Then, he marched deeper into the forest. It began to get darker. The trees surrounding began to lose their pastel colors and their light. Jia figured out that had to be a dead patch of the Ethereal Forest. That line of gray trees seemed to be surrounding an incredibly wide area, just like a gate.

It didn’t last long until they got past the ‘gate’ of gray trees and the man stopped in front of a luxurious mansion with three levels. It had shiny white walls on the outside and big windows that looked like they were made of crystal. The surroundings were enormous. The wall of gray trees really looked like a huge, stone wall now, due to all the green plants the man had in the yard.

He put Jia down slowly. She was so amazed seeing all that space and all the beautiful, natural decorations he had.

“This is my home. Starting today, it will be yours too. You can take a look if you want, the front yard is absolutely safe.” he said. He patted Jia’s back softly. Jia made a small step forward. She felt like a total stranger. She had never been the type of person to exit her comfort zone nor she was too good at interacting with strangers. But that guy was a hella nice stranger. The man suddenly walked right in front of her and looked in her eyes. Jia looked up at him to be able to see his face.

“Sorry, silly me. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Kaito.” He giggled. Jia blushed. She smiled.

“That was also my father’s name, you know?” she said.

Kaito giggled. He smiled at her as a response. Then, he patted her head. “Well then, make yourself at home. I will be inside, at the ground floor preparing breakfast. If you need me, don’t be afraid to tell me.” He chuckled and took a few steps further, still gazing at her. Yet that smile slowly began to appear more… fake… Just as if he had a thing on his mind that made him feel like something was simply not right. He was feeling… awkward, for some reason…

Jia smiled at him cutely. Then, Kaito went inside and Jia remained alone in the yard. She was feeling so full of energy and so happy all of a sudden. She started running around, admiring the enormous garden. She walked all around the front yard, but when she dared to go behind his mansion, she was stopped by some sort of invisible wall. She was stunned and let out a loud gasp as she fell to the ground, staring in disbelief. She could only see a reflection of the front yard though, which raised her suspicions. She began to feel very curious about everything around that place. Then, she remembered Kaito didn’t say anything about what could possibly hide behind that luxury mansion. Like his backyard. He didn’t mention any restrictions. So why was that invisible wall there? What exactly was in there that he didn’t want her to know about?

As Jia kept thinking, Kaito came outside, announcing that the breakfast was ready. Jia found it strange, since he left her only 5 minutes ago.

Jia followed Kaito inside. She remained at the doorway, with her mouth partly opened. She was so amazed by the inside of that building. It was so spacious and Jia could see her reflection on the shiny, white floor. The walls were literally made out of crystal and they were decorated with all kinds of photos with Kaito and a girl. She had very strange positions and her cheeks were red. In one of the pictures, she had her arms wrapped around Kaito’s waist and she held her tongue out; not to mention that the tight leggings she was wearing made her butt look quite… slapable. She was kind of flirting, but made it seem like there was much more going on in reality. At the end of the hallway, Jia saw a silver elevator. Her first impression of him was a good one. She noticed just how rich he was and the fact that he was kind to her too and allowed her to be there only made her think of how comfortable her life just became. Even if she kept admiring around, she was always looking back at him from time to time.

Then, Kaito led her to the kitchen. The smell of fresh food got stuck in Jia’s mind and all she wanted to do was eat like she had never eaten before.

Kaito asked her to sit down at the table in the center and Jia didn’t hesitate. She started eating with appetite. She totally loved that fancy breakfast. She felt like in a hotel. After the feast, Kaito led her to the second floor. He told her to pick her dorm. Jia looked at him, feeling a bit weird. She didn’t know what to say about it. Kaito smiled at her and gestured her to go ahead and choose. Jia walked further on the wide hall and stopped in front of a white door on the right. It had a cute sign on it that said “Come in and receive free hug”. She stayed there, shaking her head left and right, waiting for Kaito to come. He pulled a key out of his sleeve and unlocked the door. He then opened it slowly and let Jia take a look. She stood there, looking at all there was in that room. The walls were black, but covered in lots of neon pink patterns. There was so much space in there, despite the large bed next to the window. All the furniture in the room was covered in pastel pink accessories. It was the best room for a little girl like her.  Jia jumped on the bed and gazed out the window. She noticed there was a balcony too. She glanced at Kaito with her eyes opened wide. She was so thankful that she didn’t even know how to express it. She never thought a stranger like him would be so welcoming and kind.

“Thank you so much…” she exclaimed.

For a few minutes, she kept looking around, her eyes sparkling with joy. But all of a sudden, she finally had that thought pop in her mind. Why did he have a room like this if he was living there, most likely alone? Or maybe with the girl Jia saw in the pictures, but remembering the positions she saw her make in those photos, the little girl could tell she was over the age of 18… So, she considered asking, just to overcome her curiosity: “Hey… who had been in this room before me?” muttered Jia.

Kaito smiled at her. He sat on the bed and gestured Jia to sit next to him. The little girl hugged him and sat on his lap. Kaito petted her head. He took a deep breath as if he was getting ready for something big. It wasn’t really, but it brought back some bad feelings into him. All he did was mask them with that kind smile. He did feel happy and relieved watching Jia act so innocently while sitting on his lap; just checking out his red outfit and gazing at his face from time to time. Her big, blue eyes seemed like they could see all the way to his soul…

He inhaled deeply and got the courage to spit it out:

“Technically, this belonged to my youngest sister, but unfortunately, she passed away…” said Kaito. The smile on his face was replaced with a sad phiz. Just the memory was overfilling him with grief and sadness, making him unable to mask it any longer. But upon seeing his kind expression fade away, Jia hugged him. She was still staring up at his face, now with that emotionless look she usually kept on.

“I’m so sorry… You must really miss her…” she whispered. She patted his back.

Kaito did too. “I really do… Now I’m stuck with my other sister and she is annoying as fuck! She is so irresponsible and rude and she never listens to me. So… I’m glad I found you.” And that was the girl in the picture, actually. Jia realized that and thinking about her poses again, she understood why he just called her annoying...